Operations of the night shelter have been assigned to Madras Christian Council of Social Service (MCCSS), an NGO, who was selected by the civic body through tendering process.

As per the agreement between the NGO and the civic body, corporation will provide four spacious rooms with 24-hour electricity and other amenities for children, besides giving Rs 2 lakh as ‘expenditure fund’ to the NGO for the first two years of operation.

After inaugurating the shelter for rag pickers, the Mayor said, “Rag pickers and street children often fall prey to sexual harassment and insecurity in the society.”

The project aims at providing necessary security to these street children and rag pickers and to imbibe them with an idea of formal education to become accepted citizens in the society while staying in the shelter in nights later, Subramanian added.

He announced that the night shelter would also accommodate street children wandering in other areas also.

Isabel Richardson, director of the NGO told Express, “We have identified 35 such street children and rag pickers (in the age group of 5 to 18) in the locality and the MCCSS staff will persuade and bring them to the night shelter.”

When asked about their food while staying at the shelter, Isabel said, “Since rag pickers earn around Rs 200 a day, we will collect Rs 10 from each for providing food.”

The re-design is aimed at making the site more user friendly. Particularly, key information on many departments which was earlier buried under sub-heads have been brought onto the home page, so that visitors can easily browse through departmental information and online services.

Information is available about online services of taluk offices, building plan approvals, burial services, driving licences, e-filing of VAT returns, encumbrance certificates, property tax and water charges, among others. Separate columns have been created for documents, grievance redressal, welfare schemes, tenders, RTI and contacts.

The masthead of the website depicts the State as an Information Technology hub with an image of Tidel park, a Bharathanatyam dancer and the Mahabalipuram shore temple symbolic of its cultural heritage. In the foreground are the green fields stressing the importance given to agriculture. A slide-show of tourism spots, including Meenakshi Amman temple in Madurai, is an attractive feature.

There is also a feedback option for visitors, welcoming comments and suggestions about the website. An improved user experience of government services awaits at www.tn.gov.in.